In the large group of treasure hunters today there are many ladies who enter the competition and do well. Some may be found in all types of hunting like gold, coinshooting, beaches and yes, even water hunting. The ladies are more inquisitive and curious about metal detecting but there seems to be a barrier between being interested in metal detecting and actually "digging in the dirt"!
Let me say that those who have found the way into the hobby have found a wonderful lifestyle full of rewarding experiences. Most who take up the detector will continue on for life and find great stimulation, fresh air, and exercise combined together with great social meetings with the clubs and treasure hunts. It is the single hobby that pays you back more than it costs to pursue it! The pay back includes walking off extra weight, having more strength and energy, and having achieved a more positive self image. I think one of the most positive things is expanding your world in a positive way. I think that I have seen some find a part of themselves that builds their lives to a new level of experience where living within ones preconceived ideas of identity often passed on from mother to daughter have had a suffocating effect of confining one to the older expectations of their gender. One very interesting fact that has come obvious to me is that there are many married couples where the lady is the hunter and the man is not! The fortunate couples that share this great hobby find more mutual respect and fun together than others might expect.
If you are one who have been interested from afar, or find yourself like the many forlorn football widows then chin up! All you have to lose is your apprehension and fear while you have more to gain than you could imagine in your wildest imagination! Forget what someone else says for the moment, forget that your husband has been begging you to just try it! Many there are who have been immunized against detecting by the ignorant efforts of a friend or husband who wanted them to go to a busy park where everyone there would swivel their heads and look at them on their knees digging for pennies like some poor woman collecting soft drink cans!
You may have experienced a violent emotional reaction beyond your worst expectation and you will have to put that behind you and realize that is not what detecting is all about. Overcome your fears and be brave because this strange hobby can be YOUR thing! The first thing that you should do is attend a club meeting and talk to many of the other women there. You will see something in their eyes that you do not have and then ask them why they enjoy hunting. They will have many answers but you can see that it has given them something of value. The interesting thing that you will learn that many single women are really into treasure hunting. That may puzzle you because you consider detecting like your husband demanding that you watch a football game with him. Realize that there is more to this than just the silly beeper and digging tool but an expansive lifestyle.
The correct method to learn something about the hobby is to have a good place where you can really find interesting things. The main thing you do not want to forget is that it must be remote! No one must be watching you and you should have the opportunity to try these strange tools in your own way without someone screaming at you that you are holding it wrong or looking in the wrong place. Find a lady friend that detects and if you do not have one then attend the club in your area until you can find one that will take you out and let you try it. You must have no interference while you walk around and listen to the strange song the detector makes. The biggest mistake a new person can make is going to a bad site with lots of iron and junk and no treasures. There must be something good to find there and fairly easy too. Once you connect and dig up an old treasure then you will brush others out of your way and off you go..... You are on you own and really enjoying it.
Until you overcome those feelings that everyone is watching you just find the more remote areas or hunt at times that no one else is there. Even busy parks empty out during a rain shower and then shortly after it stops you have the whole place to yourself! The beach is an excellent place to start. There almost everyone is busy doing their own crazy thing like sitting in the wet sand and throwing mud at each other. Haha and you think that they will pay attention to you?
There is no experience such as can be had along an ocean beach at dawn with the gulls flying over the beach and the golden reflections on the water that will do wonders for your experience alone. Then all the people that played in the shallow water and sand along the beach are gone but they have left many treasures for you to find. There are many coins but also silver and gold jewelry and just wait until you dig up your first gold ring or diamond tennis bracelet! Only this week someone found a two caret diamond gold ring on the beach here. These treasures will sink into the sands to remain lost to all mankind for centuries or forever and only you can reap the rewards of the diligent hunter and have something to show for your efforts.
Take another look at the women that you met at the clubs. They are more than the average and have had the bravery to win what others have lost and it shows on their faces. There is a certain determination that you can see in their faces but at the same time you will find them the friendliest and most outgoing of all your friends and a fine example of womanhood with the strength to overcome difficulties that you may find rare among your other friends. They are not women who live behind a facade but women who have matured and grown from that into a new image not passed down from ancient times and cultures but one born of courage and the freedom to be herself. This is a new day and it is yours!
